News from the world of Maths

A damaged space station, no ground communications, no power, and only one chance to get it right. No, it's not a movie but the words of astronaut Michael Foale, who used maths to save a space station — and his life.

You don't need to count to see that five apples are more than three oranges: you can tell just by looking. That's because you were born with a sense for number. But is that sense related to the mathematical abilities you develop later on?